Kate, Every Day Of Her Life

June 17, 2001|By LARY BLOOM

When he became a father for the first time 16 years ago, Steve Bamberg resorted to the usual techniques of recording the baby's progress -- by writing in a conventional journal of the kind produced for new parents. As time went on, he decided he wasn't adequately recording Maggie's changes. He is a professional photographer, after all. The Newtown resident has photographed many dignitaries, and produced a variety of photojournalism projects.

So when Kate, the second child of Steve and Nancy Bamberg, was born in 1991, he decided to devote one of his 15 cameras, a Pentax MX, entirely to a project on which he has worked every day since: recording Kate's growth. He limited this enormous undertaking in one way, by restricting the photography to one frame per day. That gives it a structure and focus, he says. ``Otherwise it would be amorphous.''

It also means that although there are many stunning and artful frames among the 3,660 or so images, not all of the project turned out well. Sometimes Kate would move, or the photographer's hands shook, or it was late at night and he had forgotten to take the picture that day and had to sneak into Kate's room using a flashlight as his light source (all other pictures were made during the day, using available light). Or, when Steve was away and he gave the duty to Nancy, who is an expert chef (with Executive Cuisine, a catering company) but admits to having some shortcomings with a camera.

It has also produced awkward moments -- such as Steve, returning late from assignment and having to barge into Kate's friend's house where there was a sleepover, in order to perform his daily duty. Kate didn't appreciate that particular embarrassment, but says, ``He's a good father. I like that he always has time to do something with me.'' She even forgives him his lapses because he's only human -- there were four or five days in the course of the decade when Steve totally forgot about her and didn't take a picture, and there were other days when he took two because he didn't remember if he had taken one earlier.

As time went on, Kate's older sister became interested in the project. So Maggie has been photographed every day for five years since age 11. She says, ``I thought it was cool. (My father) is original with his ideas. And I wanted to be a part of this.''

Steve says, ``The main reason I do this is to make a personal and unique journal.'' He hopes the children will continue it when they become adults and when they get married, and that they pass down the tradition to generations to come.

He never thought of it as an exhibit, or as a magazine photo spread, but when we heard of the work here at Northeast, we arranged both. The magazine can print only a hint of the body of work, but Real Art Ways, the Hartford alternative-art space, agreed to show all of the photos in a repeating 10-minute slide presentation featuring more than 100 contact sheets, and each of the pictures -- except for a few that a dutiful father, at the urgent request of his daughter, eliminated because portraits in the buff are natural for a family album but not museum walls.

``Kate, Every Day of Her Life'' runs through June 24 at Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor St., Hartford (860-232-1006; www.realartways.org). The hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 2-8 p.m., or by appointment. There is no admission charge.

WHAT KATE SAYS NOW

Hi I'm the 10 year old Kate Bamberg. I am in fourth grade and I live in Newtown, CT. First of all I would like to say that my teachers (Mr. Sullivan, and Mrs. Conlon) have really encouraged me to write. So that is why this piece of mine is in the magazine today. As a fourth grader I just wanted to say that I'm really excited about the project that my dad is working on with me. It is very true that my dad has been taking my picture every day since I've been born. The first times that I remember my dad taking my picture was probably around when I was 3 or 4. I remember him saying 1,2,3, and then the click of his camera. My dad used to joke and say that it would become known one day and look now... It is!!!

To watch Kate Bamberg talk about the experience on RealVideo (without her dad in the room), please visit www.ctnow.com